Chapter 24 - 23: October 1st, Auspicious for Weddings and Burials!

Chapter 24: Chapter 23: October 1st, Auspicious for Weddings and Burials!

Lu Huaisan was the most shocked by Lu Jing’an’s words. To him, his investigation had already been meticulous. He even felt that professional spies and agents would roughly be at this level.

But not only had Lu Jing’an clearly investigated the headcount, he had even grasped their appearances and movements with Precise accuracy.

Lying? Making things up? Lu Huaisan didn’t think so, nor was it possible. Lu Jing’an’s tone was steady, and his eyes revealed certainty. Besides, on such a major matter concerning the family’s survival, he believed Lu Jing’an absolutely wouldn’t dare to lie. Then, how did Lu Jing’an investigate more thoroughly than himself?

"Uncle Huaichuan, there’s no need to send more silver to Huagui Street," Lu Jing’an’s voice continued, though this time he wasn’t talking about the Li Family. "That’s a trap Lin Shouxin set for you."

Hearing this, Lu Huaichuan’s expression suddenly turned stern. "How do you know about Huagui Street?"

Lu Jing’an smiled and feigned mystery. "Naturally, Lin Shouxin told me."

"Huaichuan, what arrangements do you have over at Huagui Street?" Lu Huaisan immediately looked at him. "Why didn’t I know?"

"When I was investigating the Lin Family’s funds, I chanced upon some information," Lu Huaichuan admitted since Lu Jing’an had exposed the matter. "Word was that Lin Shouxin was secretly keeping a mistress on Huagui Street, and she had even borne him a son.

"I figured I could exploit this intel, so I hired someone to bribe the woman.

"I never expected her to have the gall to play me!" He gritted his teeth.

Lu Huaichuan hadn’t told anyone about this. The fact that Lu Jing’an could mention it proved that all of his investigations were true. This was a bit terrifying. Based on Lu Huaichuan’s understanding, Lu Jing’an had been doing nothing but beating people up and drinking with hostesses these past few days. However, what Lu Jing’an ultimately uncovered was more than what they had—and even more fatal!

Lu Huaichuan didn’t ask how he did it. Instead, he complained, "You just sat back and watched your uncle throw away heaps of silver while getting played for a fool. You didn’t even think to warn me."

"Uncle Huaichuan, if I had exposed it earlier, you would have become cautious," Lu Jing’an smiled. "And if you were cautious, the Lin Family would have pulled back. Only by letting them think they had the upper hand would they reveal more flaws."

Lu Huaichuan was just saying it casually; losing some money and face meant nothing to him. Now that it was confirmed that all of Lu Jing’an’s intel was true, the next step was how to deal with it.

The gunmen from the Lin Family and the Li Family were nothing. The truly troublesome ones were the experts the Li Family brought. Among them, the Voider Lawrence and another mysterious Martial Cultivator were the most crucial.

However, the problem lay here. Originally, the Lu Family thought there was only Lawrence, and he could just be handed over to Chen Xuan. Now another Martial Cultivator had appeared, whose strength was not below Lawrence’s at all. Setting aside whether Chen Xuan could handle two people simultaneously, what if the two acted separately? How should the Lu Family cope?

Throwing money to hire another expert on short notice wasn’t impossible, but someone found in a hurry would have an unclear background and unpredictable loyalty. And this battle concerned the Lu Family’s destiny for decades to come. There could be absolutely no carelessness.

Just when Lu Huaiqian and his two brothers couldn’t settle the argument, Lu Jing’an spoke again. "This Lawrence can be left to me."

"No!" Lu Huaichuan and Lu Huaisan shouted in unison.

Although Lu Huaiqian didn’t make a sound, his deeply furrowed brows and suddenly tense posture signaled his disapproval.

"That Lawrence’s strength is definitely at the level of a Broken Blood Barrier," Lu Huaisan said with a serious expression. "Jing’an, how long have you practiced Martial Arts? You probably haven’t even reached the Entry Level. You absolutely cannot be his opponent!"

"Jing’an, this is non-negotiable," Lu Huaichuan chimed in. He shot pointed looks at his oldest brother, signaling Huaiqian to step in and shut the boy down.

Lu Huaiqian pondered for a moment. "Tell me your plan."

"First, let me correct Uncle Huaisan on one detail," Lu Jing’an nodded. "I haven’t been practicing for long, but I have already achieved the Qi Blood Second Transformation."

Lu Huaiqian and the other two were shocked. They all knew what the concept of Qi Blood Second Transformation meant. How long had Lu Jing’an been practicing with Chen Xuan? A month at most? Even if Chen Xuan taught him everything and the Lu Family was willing to spend money, reaching the Qi Blood Second Transformation in a month was still too shocking. Lu Jing’an absolutely didn’t have any Child’s Skill. They knew this better than anyone.

"Jing’an, you really reached the Qi Blood Second Transformation!?" Lu Huaisan’s tone was full of disbelief.

Lu Jing’an nodded. "You can verify this with Uncle Xuan."

"How did you Cultivate so fast?"

Lu Jing’an repeated the same excuse he had given Chen Xuan. "Uncle Xuan said I might simply have a strong innate aptitude for Martial Arts. It’s just that I squandered my early years chasing pleasure, letting my potential gather dust.

"Now that I’ve found my way back to the right path, my talent is finally shining through."

Since Chen Xuan had supposedly said it, the three naturally had no doubts. But the matter of Lawrence still needed to be explained clearly. Even if Lu Jing’an was now at the Qi Blood Second Transformation, he still had zero chance of winning against the Voider.

"The greatest strength of Voider Martial Cultivators is their Fighting Qi," Lu Jing’an elaborated. "And Fighting Qi relies on fueling one’s emotions and seizing the initiative.

"As long as I keep him from working up a frenzy and prevent him from taking the offensive, I’ve already won half the battle."

He paused before adding, "Of course, I have no intention of fighting him head-on.

"I will need a squad of men. They must have absolutely Precise marksmanship.

"Besides, I’m not looking to kill Lawrence.

"Just buying enough time for Uncle Xuan to arrive will be enough."

Hearing Lu Jing’an’s plan, they still felt it was somewhat too risky.

The candlelight flickered in the room, casting their elongated shadows on the wall. Afterwards, they hammered out the operational details. It wasn’t until the sky brightened and the window turned a pale, fish-belly white that everything was finally set in motion.

Over the next few days.

The entire Yin Mountain County was immersed in the clamor of the Li Family’s grand wedding.

The main road had long been newly renovated. The residents on both sides received silver coins as a reward. Every household hung big red lanterns under their eaves. Even the trees by the road were wrapped in layers of red silk, looking like a winding red dragon from afar. Such extravagance and liveliness couldn’t even be matched during Yin Mountain County’s New Year celebrations. ℴ

The Lin Family was entirely in the limelight these days. Lin Shouxin smiled all day long, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes seemingly deeper than usual. The stream of visitors coming to give gifts was continuous, all of them here to curry favor.

Now everyone could see clearly that the Lu Family was planning to pinch their noses and swallow this insult. In their eyes, this was the beginning of the Lu Family’s decline.

Well-informed individuals had already heard rumors of the three counties merging. The Lu Family’s current concession was equivalent to voluntarily giving up the competition for the Director position. Relinquishing a high position was understandable; after all, their foundation was still shallow. But now that the Li Family was stepping on their faces, the Lu Family still swallowed their pride. Thus, in the future, whether this Yin Mountain County would belong to the Li or the Lu Family was very hard to say.

Getting on good terms with the Lin Family first definitely wasn’t wrong. Those who actively came to befriend them were naturally noted down one by one by the Lu Family. It just wasn’t time to settle the score yet.

Time passed day by day.

Soon it was the joyous occasion agreed upon by the Lin Family and the Li Family.

October 1st!

The almanac stated: Auspicious for marriages, burials, digging graves, and relocating tombs.

Before the sky was completely bright, the Lin Mansion was already ablaze with lights and flickering shadows. Today was the day the Lin Family clung to a high branch, marking the start of their rapid ascent. The Li family’s eldest son would personally rush over from Xiao County to welcome the bride. What glory this was! From today onwards, their status would be completely transformed.

It wasn’t just the Lin Family that woke up early. Many households in Yin Mountain County pushed open their windows or stood on their thresholds, waiting to see this rare spectacle. On both sides of the street, even beggars had occupied spots early, eagerly waiting to catch the reward money scattered by the two families.

But the reward money never came.

Instead, squads of Public Security Bureau officers armed with loaded rifles arrived. They advanced rapidly down the long street, clearing the area and shouting orders. If anyone moved a bit too slowly, a rifle butt would unceremoniously smash into them. In just half a cup of tea’s time, the entire street fell into a dead silence.

Yet these officers didn’t stop. They continued to march swiftly toward the Lin Mansion. Their neat footsteps stomped on the bluestone slabs, echoing with a resounding THUD THUD. Every step revealed a chilling killing intent.

At the end of the long street, the red silk in front of the Lin Mansion fluttered slightly in the morning wind, like a splash of blood.